Former Alba chief jailed for corruption

Manama, July 24, 2014

Former Alba chief executive Bruce Hall has been sentenced to 16 months in prison and ordered to pay £3 million ($5.1 million) by a British court.

Found guilty of conspiracy to corrupt in relation to contracts for the supply of goods and services, Hall received £2.9 million in corrupt payments between 2002 and 2005, including BD10,000 ($26,394) in cash from a former Bahrain Finance Minister and ex-Alba chairman, Southwark Crown Court heard, reported the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

The case, brought by the UK's Serious Fraud Office (SFO), also resulted in Hall being ordered to pay £500,000 in compensation to Alba and £100,000 in court costs.

If he fails to fulfil the £3 million confiscation order by next Tuesday, he could face a further 10-year jail.

Hall was charged in 2012 in relation to the SFO's case against Jordanian-born billionaire Victor Dahdaleh, who was accused of paying millions in bribes to former managers of Alba.

That case collapsed after Hall, who was the main prosecution witness, changed his testimony and two key US witnesses refused to take the stand. - TradeArabia News Service